I love to hike and every Monday, unless I have an imminent birth due, I am lucky enough to be able to do challenging hikes with a small group of girlfriends. One Monday last fall however, no one could make it and so just my trusty dog, Oscar and I set out on our own. It was raining and a little cold and I soon started to realize that without the support of my friends, the next few hours were going to be a challenge for me.

The fairytale is this: there’s a pregnant mother daydreaming of her round-faced baby suckling on her enlarged breast and then drifting off to a deep and restful sleep. She knows that breast is best; she of course, will do what’s best. Months later, the new mother sits with that round-faced baby in her arms. But, instead of suckling and drifting off to sleep, there are tears and frustration. They find themselves in a cold, dark forest. Ok, maybe it’s not a real forest, but that’s how it can feel for the woman struggling to feed her infant.

Your due date has come and gone. Why haven’t you had your baby yet? You have waited forty weeks to meet your little one and now time seems to be crawling by, especially if you have been having bouts of contractions that seem to be strong, but then just fizzle out.

The hardest thing for a partner to do when they see their partner in pain is to give them space and ‘do nothing’. Now when I say ‘do nothing’ you are really doing what is needed right then. Here are some things to consider in the birthing room.

I was recently told that only 10 percent of first-time parents choose to take a birthing class. I was shocked, and a little discouraged, having recently taken my first step on the journey to become a certified Birthing from Within® mentor.

Let’s look at some of the reasons parents-to-be might think they don't need to take a class.